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BACON MOMENTS #1

So it's another Sunday where I would just whip up a simple bacon and waffles breakfast. As I was cooking bacon, I had an epiphany. Bacon.. I used to bake the bacon in the oven, but I've been cooking it on the stove lately. The sound of sizzling bacon and seeing the fat transform to a dark golden brown is a sight any diet person would dream about. So as I was cooking the bacon.. my eyes just lit up.

Cooking the perfect Bacon.

Recipe:

  • B A C O N.

I realized cooking bacon is like making popcorn. I have the pan on high, and sizzle the bacon on for about 2 minutes till it shrinks a little and starts making the ripples. After you flip it, you will basically do the same, but lower the temperature a bit as the fat starts melting off. After this, I would flip the bacon more occasionally. Maybe because it's more enticing to see the fat bubbles foam around it or something, but I just can't leave because it's so beautiful to look at. So, like popcorn. Once the sizzling starts fading away, your bacon is ready. Don't mind the char bits at all because it adds so much more smokey flavor. I drizzled the bacon with a little maple syrup and just a tad of Cayenne pepper because I am obsessed with that at the moment (though it makes my mustache on fire).

I served this with some cold brew that I've got from Trader Joes.

Cold Brew by Trader Joes

Trader joe sells a small jug of cold brew for about $7-8. It makes around 12 8oz cups. but more like 6 cups because who really drinks 8 oz? I made a quick simple syrup, chilled everything, and served with a lot of ice, and a splash of whole milk.

Bacon, cold brew, I am wired for Sunday Funday and ready to go!

cheers.

Daiisies

 

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Soy Sauce Chicken Wings

I've been contemplating on making asian wings for a long time. The only thing that stops me is waiting for the marinade to fully adhere to whatever protein I am using. When I crave something, I would think about it. Constantly. If you ask me what I'm doing later or for the weekend, I'm normally thinking about dinner or what to make. Marinades are usually pretty simple to put together, but it's just the wait that kills me. Especially when some marinades are required to fridge overnight. What I love about soy based sauces is how quickly it flavors the dish without waiting too long. I finally motivated myself to visit a Japanese market one Sunday morning to pick up a few packs of Jidori (free range chicken) chicken wings. With the wings, I picked up some sake for the marinade along with some ginger and garlic.

QUICK RECIPE

  • 3 pounds of chicken wings
  • 1 Cup of Sake
  • 3/4 Cup of soy sauce (I used Kikkoman)
  • 1/4 Cup of water
  • 3 table spoons of grated ginger (more is optional, I grated probably 2 inches of ginger)
  • whole head of grated garlic
  • 3/4 cups of sugar (I used granulated white sugar).
  • 1 Teaspoon of Red pepper flakes because I like it spicy (optional)
  • 1 green onion
  • 1 teaspoon of white pepper

I got a large zip lock and threw everything inside. It is definitely the easiest especially when massaging the marinade in the chicken. The wings should be marinading for at least 1 hour before cooking. I left my wings in the fridge for about 2 hours turning occasionally (every 30 minutes). 

The wings are then cooked in a pan and flipped occasionally. I literally left the wings on until the sauce started to reduce... and reduce... till it creates a glaze on the wings and slowly starts charring on the skin. You can manage the soy sauce since the flavors do get intensified once it reduces. The smell by the way is amaze-balls. Who wouldn't love the smell of garlicky, soy ginger funk in the air! I'm sure neighbors are probably thinking 'it's gotta be the Chinese again, man I wish I can get some of whatever that is.' Yeah. I bet you that's what they are saying. 

Sesame and Green onions to garnish

The wings are done and served with some white jasmine rice which helps cut the richness of the soy glaze. I did leave the wingtips on because it was just something we did in our household when I was growing up. And... It makes me feel more masculine being able to take a huge bite. 

Enjoy and keep cooking!

Cheers.

Daiisies

 

 

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Chinese Scallion Bun

Do you ever get bored and itch to just make something? I've been craving to steam something for the longest time and decided to make some Chinese Mantou, which is just a steamed flour bun. I hated Mantou growing up. Mainly because they don't taste like much and my parents would normally buy this to be a snack when we were hungry. Sometimes we would even eat this for breakfast... it was a nightmare...!

There are a lot of Chinese Soap Operas that were recreated to be in the Hans Dynasty. Mantou was known to be the foods the dirt poor would eat. Like literally. There would be very depressing scenes where a prince, would turn into a bum, and then look like he's been out in the dessert with dry ass chapped lips, ridiculous crazy hair with ripped up shoes (Chinese film makers over exaggerated, but we all loved it). And for some awkward reason it's POURING rain, and a Mantou, out of the freaking blue falls on the ground and rolls up to his feet. It's all dirty and stuff, but he picks it up, looks at it passionately, starts eating it and crying at the same time. Or there are other series with the same scenario, but a dog eats it before he gets to it, and someone that feels sorry (normally a really pretty princess) would come by and buy a whole basket for him. OR (last one I PROMISE), the bum/prince guy, would see a family with children starving and gives them the bun instead.

You see how complicated it gets?

But honestly, Mantou is one of those food items that you hated, and never appreciated until you are a lot older, and start reflecting on your childhood. Now, I really enjoy it. It's the base of a lot of things and you can eat it in many different ways. The way that you are going to see below is whatever scraps at home you can find. Recipes for this, and for all bread normally, is required to have yeast. Well I don't have any so I skipped it. The results are a denser, heavier dough since it doesn't have the chemistry inside to make it rise. I did the best I can and added a lot of baking powder not really knowing what it does. I-am-NOT-a-BAKER. I had tons of green onions left from the week that I decided to just mix in the dough for flavor.

Mini Mantou

 

Recipe

  • 3 Cups of flour (I did not pack, don't ask me why because I don't know)
  • Maybe 2-3 tablespoons of sugar
  • Big pinch of salt
  • Big dash of baking soda
  • If you have yeast, use it. 1-2 tablespoons (yeast highly recommended if you have it)
  • Mince 3 whole green onions
  • 1.2 Cups of warm water

I sifted the dry ingredients together and then poured in the water. Once it starts binding together, I would add the onions. I drizzled a little canola oil to form clumpy balls. I thin put my buns in the steaming basket with a parchment liner, and let it go for about 25 minutes, but it really depends on the size. If you have yeast, you would need to let it rest an hour or so to let it rise. By all means, this was made for cravings. There will be a honest recipe in the near future.

How am I going to eat this:

One of the reasons why I decided to make this was because I had left over Chinese BBQ from last night (see Chinese BBQ post here) and I was running low on rice. So I'm going to cut these buns open and stuff it with my BBQ. Served with some Chinese Jasmine Green Tea in my Gaiwan and I will be ONE HAPPY CHINESE CAMPER.

Remember, don't be intimidated to cook with what you have. I don't know how many people turned over in their graves... but it still worked out at the end (Not the best replication of this, but you can catch the drift). And who cares about the recipes. Don't let that stop you from making something, because now you know why certain things are to be asked in the ingredients, and why there are certain steps to follow. Going away from the recipe(s) make me understand food a lot better, and it makes me more adventurous to try and create other things.

It's all about Food Within Reach!

Gom Bui!

Daiisies

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Good Morning BEW - Bacon, EGGS, Waffles.

On the weekends, it's been a constant struggle trying to find a restaurant that serves a simple breakfast with good coffee. We really want to stay local, or away from Los Angeles because of the heavy foot traffic and inconvenience of getting there. Then there is parking, and long lines. Don't get me wrong, I love to go dine out, but there are days where I just want to lay around in the morning and stare at my cat chasing his tail. Yes, my cat chases his tail ALL.THE.TIME. Anyways, restaurants either serve food that is either too heavy where we end up not productive for the rest of the day, too small where we feel gypped, or just lacking in flavor (especially the coffee, agree?) where you stop after a few bites because you get bored. Then, there goes $20-$40 down the drain depending on where you are. I've decided to cook a simple brunch at home and not worry/stress about finding a new place to dine (or regular) and just whip up something I know I am comfortable eating.

Simple:

BEW - Bacon Eggs and Waffles

I just popped a few frozen thick waffles in my toaster, cooked up some bacon and eggs with a pot of coffee. No struggle and clean up is minimal. Slab on some sweet cream butter with the old fashion Aunt Jemima and we are all set and ready to go.

If you haven't been to the market lately, bacon is ridiculously expensive. So when a sale goes on, I would buy 2 packs and keep one in the freezer till I need it. For eggs, I always eat Happy Eggs. And waffles? Leggo my Eggo.

Enjoy!

Daiisies

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Breakfast Potatoes with Egg and Pretzel Bread

There's just something so special about breakfast/brunch on the weekends. I just love waking up early in the morning, to look forward to a fantastic day. Although I haven't had time to do much lately, this meal of the day is something I am always excited about. I love to eat out at restaurants. If you were to ask me what I did over the weekend, I will tell you something that involved something I made or a dining experience somewhere.

John and I went to a Sur La Table in Pasadena, which is by far one of my favorite places to go to. There's all kinds of inspiration I find when I go there, and finding things I never thought I would need. Basically, I need everything in that store. We were looking at pans, and the non-stick pan I currently have right now is failing to keep up with my massive cooking needs. I've been in need of a larger pan of some sort that has a lot of surface rather than depth. We ran into a pan made by "Scanpan" that seemed like what I was looking for. Not much hesitation even though it took us about an hour in the store to commit to this purchase. What's also great about this non-stick pan is that it's scratch resistant.

Low and Behold, I put this little beast to work for one of my favorite breakfast brunch items: Breakfast Potatoes.

Breakfast Potatoes with Pancetta and Pretzel Bread.

I made everything you see here with one pan. The Pancetta was rendered until crispy before the potatoes were thrown in to be coated. I always microwave the potatoes before throwing them in a pan to cook. Doing so just helps with making sure the potatoes are cooked throughout, there's nothing I hate more than a beautiful golden crust than a undercooked crunchy potato inside. Some shallots were also added with sharp cheddar. Everything was assembled at the end with a few eqqs on top finished in the oven.

 

 

Breakfast potatoes with Pancetta, Eggs and Pretzel Bread.

If you've never had pretzel, do yourself a favor and try it. I am changed forever. The one you see here is from Whole Foods. Light brush of canola on top with a sprinkle of Kosher salt heated in the oven. Oh and a dazzle of Parsley for color.

This was such a treat! I always love a breakfast that makes me want to take a nap, I guess that's why the coffee is there for.

If you decide to get it, let me know what you think. If you have any questions regarding it, feel free to ask.

Happy Cooking!

~Daisy.

 

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